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    <title>Help On LaTeX Letters</title>

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<h2>Letters</h2>


<p>You can use LaTeX to typeset letters, both personal and

    business. The letter document style is designed to make a

    number of letters at once, although you can make just one if you

    so desire.</p>


<p>Your *.tex source file has the same

    <a href="input.html#structure">minimum commands</a> as the

    other document styles, i.e., you must have the following

    commands as a minimum:</p>



<pre>

    \documentstyle{letter}

    <a href="ltx-315.html">\signature{Your Name}</a> 

    <a href="ltx-93.html">\address{Return address}</a>

    \begin{document}

    ... First letter ...

    ... Second letter ...

    ...

    \end{document}

</pre>


<p>Note that the <tt>\address</tt> and <tt>\signature</tt>

    commands are <a href="declarations.html">declarations</a> and

    follow the usual scope rules. They are generally placed in the

    preamble, as indicated here, and apply to all letters in the file.</p>


<p>Each letter is a letter <a href="ltx-27.html">environment</a>,

    whose argument is the name and address of the recipient. For

    example, a typical letter might have</p>



<pre>

   \begin{letter}{Mr. John Doe \\ 2345 Jones St. 

         \\ Oakland, CA  91123}

   <a href="ltx-97.html">\opening{Dear John,}</a>

     ...

     text of letter 

     ...

   <a href="ltx-98.html">\closing{Best regards,}</a>

   \end{letter}

</pre>


<p>The letter itself begins with the

    <tt><a href="ltx-97.html">\opening</a></tt> command. The text

    of the letter follows. It is typed as ordinary LaTeX input.

    Commands that make no sense in a letter, like

    <tt>\chapter,</tt> don't work. The letter closes with a

    <tt><a href="ltx-98.html">\closing</a></tt> command.</p>


<h3>Closing matter</h3>


<p>Several commands may be used after the <tt>\closing</tt> command:</p>


<ul>

    <li><tt>\ps{PS text}</tt> command produces a "P.S."</li>

    <li><tt>\cc{text}</tt> command produces the usual "cc: text".</li>

    <li><tt>\encl{list of enclosures}</tt> command produces an "encl:" list</li>

</ul>


<h3>Date</h3>


<p>The <tt><a href="ltx-330.html">\today</a></tt> command is

    used by the letter <a href="ltx-22.html">document style</a> to

    generate the date. If you wish a fixed date, rather than the

    current date, you should use</p>



<pre>

   <a href="ltx-18.html">\renewcommand</a>{\today}{Month day, year}

</pre>


<p>This may be put in the preamble if it is to apply to all

    letters in the file, or just before the <tt>\opening</tt>

    command if it is to apply to just that letter.</p>


<hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


<p>See also</p>


<ul>

    <li><tt><a href="ltx-93.html">\address</a></tt></li>

    <li><tt><a href="ltx-98.html">\closing</a></tt></li>

    <li><tt><a href="ltx-261.html">\location</a></tt></li>

    <li><tt><a href="ltx-97.html">\opening</a></tt></li>

    <li><tt><a href="ltx-315.html">\signature</a></tt></li>

    <li><tt><a href="ltx-323.html">\telephone</a></tt></li>

</ul>


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